The 30K Block

Good article. I am currently stuck at 27,000-28,000 words on a novel I am writing. I recently started using sketches of character biographies to help with the longer short stories/novelettes I tend to write; it really helps. I have already used it for the two primary characters in the novel, but I now need to use it for the lesser ones as well. For tonight and the next few nights I intend to experiment with “stream of consciousness” to jump-start my creativity as I will be dealing with an extensive interior monologue of one of the two main characters.

I always get stuck at around 30 thousand words. I have been thinking about why, and this is my thoughts on it at this point in time.

Let’s open a story.

He entered the hidden room, returning to confirm his suspicions, not expecting an occupant. The lady was there, standing with her purse gun in her hand, her eyes welling with rage. He ducked out. She shot. The bullet ricocheted off the wall shredding a shower of debris into the dark hallway, filthy and cold, where he crouched on the floor fumbling on the shoulder holster, hanging empty and limp, for his gun that was not there.

This is pretty much a typical opening for me. Being a pantser, I just pile on events after an opening and see where the story goes. But we don’t know who “he” is or who “the lady” is at this point. We do…